Uzbekistan Aims to Complete WTO Accession in 2026

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan intends to maintain strong momentum and complete its accession to the World Trade Organization in 2026, Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev said at a meeting of the Working Party on Uzbekistan’s accession on March 9, according to the WTO press service.

He thanked members of the working group for their support during a period of intense workload and reaffirmed Tashkent’s readiness to engage in constructive dialogue with all members to resolve outstanding issues in a spirit of partnership and mutual understanding.

Uzbekistan’s high-level delegation included 20 government representatives, among them Azizbek Urunov, Akhadbek Khaydarov and Mahmud Istamov, while other officials from ministries and agencies joined the meeting remotely.

Khodjaev noted that the country’s ongoing economic reforms are aimed at aligning with WTO requirements and preparing Uzbekistan to become a responsible and predictable participant in the global trading system.

He also called on working group members to continue their engaged cooperation, emphasizing that stronger interagency coordination is helping Uzbekistan meet commitments related to its deeper integration into the global economy.

Participants in the meeting praised the country’s progress, including implemented reforms, and discussed issues related to state-owned enterprises, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, intellectual property and agriculture. The current draft report of the Working Party includes 62 draft commitments, compared with 56 in the previous version, while some proposals will continue to be reviewed after the meeting.

Members also noted the completion of several bilateral negotiations on market access. To date, 30 agreements have been deposited with the WTO Secretariat, five of which were concluded after the previous meeting. These include agreements with Ecuador, the European Union, Paraguay, Russia and Uruguay.

Khodjaev stressed that Uzbekistan continues efforts to finalize the remaining bilateral market access negotiations.

The chair of the Working Party, Ambassador of South Korea Yeo‑Choi Soon, noted the country’s “impressive progress since 2020” and said the key phase of negotiations is nearing completion. She stressed the need to maintain the current momentum and plans to hold the next meeting before early summer while continuing to assist in resolving the remaining issues.

The meeting marked the 12th session of the Working Party on Uzbekistan’s accession to the WTO. Uzbekistan first applied for membership in 1994 and has been actively negotiating with WTO members since 2020.